Frankel Statement on Passage of U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act

Frankel Statement for the Congressional Record on passage of U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act: 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the U.S. Israel Strategic Partnership Act to designate our Israeli ally as a “major strategic partner” of the United States.

To the casual observer, it seems that Israel is nothing more than a war zone. The only time Israel appears to be discussed in the news is when something bad happens. A Palestinian terrorist attacks worshipers at a synagogue in Jerusalem. Peace negotiations break down. War in Gaza.

But Israel is so much more than the conflict.

Israel is a thriving, prosperous, and beautiful country with citizens living rather ordinary lives despite the violence of the surrounding region.

When you visit Israel, as millions of tourists do every year, you find a country that is fun, free, and a little too hot in August.

Israelis sip coffee at outdoor cafes, meet friends at shopping malls, go to the movies, get stuck in traffic, listen to concerts, and spend long nights at the office.

When you visit Tel Aviv, nicknamed “the city that never sleeps,” you find a beautiful coastal metropolis over-looking the Mediterranean, named the best beach party destination in the world by USA Today Travel.

Israel has established a vibrant and democratic political system, which includes the same freedoms we in America value so much: freedom of speech, religion, press, and a robust electoral system.

Israel has developed some of the leading universities in the world and boasts the highest ratio of university degrees to population. It has built a remarkably advanced entrepreneurial high-tech economy that invented voicemail, instant messenger, and the computer chip – giving the country the title “start-up nation.”

Israel made the desert bloom with transformative technology - drip irrigation - that has allowed Israelis to grow vineyards and vegetable farms on seemingly uninhabitable land.

That is why today’s legislation not only helps enhance Israel’s security in a dangerous region, but also builds on our mutually beneficial relationship to improve cooperation on a range of policy areas including energy, water, homeland security, and alternative fuel technologies.

I am proud that the House and Senate are coming together to strengthen our bond with Israel and I look forward to this bill being signed into law by the President.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.